Department for Transport

Roads: Bedfordshire

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will visit the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to make an assessment of the extent of the improvement works being carried out and the effect of those works on neighbouring businesses.

Mr John Hayes: I would be delighted to visit again the Black Cat roundabout.   Work on this important Pinch Point Scheme is now nearing completion and the impact that the work has had on neighbouring businesses will soon end.   I am keen to ensure that the impact of all construction work on local businesses is minimised wherever possible, as is the Highways Agency. I am aware that the close proximity of these particular works to neighbouring businesses has been the cause of some frustration, however, I am also aware of the efforts made by the Highways Agency to listen to local concerns and to address them during the construction phase where it has been possible to do so.   Once completed, the improvements made at the Black Cat Roundabout will benefit not only its near neighbours but the local and wider economies through safer and less congested journeys.

Tyres: EU Action

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on (a) consumers and (b) retailers of the inclusion of tyres in the transposition of Article 2(h) of EU Regulation 168/2013 in those European countries that have done so.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State currently has no plans to make an assessment of the transposition of EU Regulation 168/2013 in other EU countries. The UK is obliged by EU law to implement this regulation, and we intend to make a Statutory Instrument in due course.

A595

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many representations his Department has received on the quality of the A595 in each of the last 10 years.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport and the Highways Agency receive many representations on a wide range of issues, including the quality and condition of roads, such as the A595. Some representations may refer to more than one road and therefore the information is not held as requested.

M1

Mr David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when road improvements started on the M1 southbound carriageway near Wakefield; when he expects those roadworks to be completed; from what time in the day those roadworks are operable and traffic is diverted from all three carriageways; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The M1 Junctions 39 to 42 smart motorway scheme started with enabling works in August 2013, and is expected to be fully complete by Winter 2015/16.   Between the hours of 06:00 and 20:00 there are three narrow lanes available in each direction with a 50mph speed limit enforced for the safety of road workers and road users.   On the occasions when the overnight work requires a full carriageway closure, such as gantry erections and bridge deck waterproofing, the carriageway is closed from 20:00 on the night of the closure until 06:00 at the latest the following morning. Full carriageway closures are advertised two weeks in advance on the Highways Agency website, through local press notices and on motorway variable message signs in the vicinity of the closure.

Southern

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review the compensation payable to ticket holders experiencing serious delays on Southern Rail.

Claire Perry: I have previously set out that I am considering the case but I cannot make any guarantees at this point. To provide additional compensation above Passenger Charter arrangements to passengers would place a large additional financial burden on this and future major projects which would in turn increase the cost to taxpayers.   We are spending over £1bn rebuilding London Bridge station and upgrading the tracks in the London Bridge area as part of the £6.5bn Thameslink Programme upgrade. When complete in 2018, the Thameslink Programme will bring huge benefits, transforming north-south travel through London and providing direct access to Crossrail at Farringdon. It is important that we all recognise the scale of the task at hand. It is simply not possible to expand and enhance our Victorian era infrastructure - as seen at London Bridge - without some changes in services and some disruption. However, I have been clear that we must keep disruption to a minimum and keep passengers informed.

Midland Main Railway Line

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will require East Midlands Trains to reinstate half hourly off-peak rail services northwards from Kettering.

Claire Perry: Department officials have met with a number of stakeholders and are aware of this aspiration. The stopping pattern will seek to balance the needs of all users of the route. We are currently in negotiation with the operator with regard to the short Direct Award for operating the East Midlands franchise, and full details of the award will be announced when successful negotiations have been completed. As you may be aware, we will run a full franchise competition for the long-term running of this franchise, to begin service provision in October 2017. Local stakeholder engagement is a key element of the competition, as is a public consultation which will help specify the long-term franchise.   Local authorities are also able to specify and fund service enhancements; recent examples of this include Cornwall, Lancashire and Burnley councils; it may be worth contacting Kettering Borough Council or Northamptonshire County Council to determine if such an enhancement is the best way to meet local transport needs. In doing so the Council(s) would discuss the feasibility of the scheme with Network Rail and the train operator. If the scheme is feasible and represents value for money, the Council would need to be prepared to fund the cost of the link from funding sources which are available for transport investment.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU Member States on encouraging the European Aviation Safety Agency to investigate the potential effects of repeated exposure to toxins inside aeroplanes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department wrote to the European Aviation Safety Agency in March 2014 informing them of the publication of four scientific studies on cabin air that had been commissioned by the Department. No further discussions have taken place.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that public health facilities and resources are made available for the testing of pilots for genetic conditions which might make them susceptible to the potential effects of repeated exposure to toxins inside aeroplanes should the Civil Aviation Authority decide to institute such tests.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority are currently reviewing the evidence for the possibility of genetic factors which might influence individual susceptibility to environmental toxins.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the feasibility of making the monitoring of toxins inside aeroplanes mandatory on UK aeroplanes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No such discussions have taken place.

Large Goods Vehicles: Taxation

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been raised in revenue by the HGV road user levy since its introduction.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In the eleven calendar months since the introduction of the HGV Levy in April 2014, the revenue has been £42.1m from non-UK registered vehicles and £132.5m from UK-registered vehicles. This totals £174.6m.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial assistance he is providing to local authorities to repair potholes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Potholes are a menace to all road users and this Government is taking action. We announced in December 2014 how we are allocating just under £6 billion for councils in England to tackle potholes and improve local road conditions over the next six years. This funding is on top of the £4.7 billion we have provided since 2010.

Railways: North West

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for electrification of railway lines in the North West.

Claire Perry: A number of routes in the North West are in the process of being electrified.   Network Rail is considering potential projects for the next funding Control Period through the refresh of its national electrification Route Utilisation Strategy.   Final decisions on further schemes will take into account the recommendations of the Task Force of northern MPs and Council Leaders set up to explore the priorities for future electrification in the North.

Roads

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to build new and upgrade existing trunk roads.

Mr John Hayes: In December this Government set out the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades. It will dramatically improve England’s strategic road network and unlock our economic potential.   Over 100 strategic road projects are being taken forward as part of the £15.2 billion investment between 2015 and 2021. This amounts to a tripling of annual investment in road improvements from today’s levels to over £3 billion a year by 2021.   This month Highways England will publish its Delivery Plan setting out the next steps in putting this into effect.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the benefit cost ratio of the High Speed 2 Wigan spur.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has not estimated the case for the western leg of the Y-shaped route for High Speed 2 without the connection to the West Coast Main Line north of Manchester. However, preliminary analysis undertaken by HS2 Ltd suggested that this section of the line is likely to provide benefits of the order of £1.2 billion, revenue of about £600 million, and is likely to offer very high value for money.

Rolling Stock

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce new rolling stock on the rail network.

Claire Perry: Passengers will see significant increases in rolling stock thanks to the Government’s investment and the franchising programme.   More than 3,700 new carriages will be in service across the country by the end of 2019. In addition, the Northern Invitation To Tender clearly requires improved rolling stock, the retirement of Pacers by 2020 and 120 new carriages suitable for use on non-electrified routes on the Northern network.

Railways: Franchises

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses to allocate subsidies and premiums to train companies for the operation of rail franchise agreements.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State allocates subsidies and premiums for each franchise using the following criteria at the bidding stage. This determines if a franchise will either pay a premium to the department or receive a subsidy.   For a premium paying TOC The total income bid exceeds the sum of total bid costs and bid margin   For a subsidy paying TOC The sum of total bid costs and bid margin exceed total bid income.   The Premiums receivable and Subsidies payable are set at the point of contract award based on bid forecast. There are some factors that may make actual payments differ from Bid. They include Revenue (share)/support, profit share, regulatory changes, inflation indices etc.

Railways: Passengers

Mr Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of rail passenger journeys.

Claire Perry: In the first four years under this Government, passenger journeys increased by 26%. The number of journeys made on the rail network grew by 6% in 2013/14, and has more than doubled since privatisation.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial assistance he is providing to local authorities to repair potholes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Potholes are a menace to all road users and this Government is taking action. We announced in December 2014 how we are allocating just under £6 billion for councils in England to tackle potholes and improve local road conditions over the next six years. This funding is on top of the £4.7 billion we have provided since 2010.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Monuments: Woolwich

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with the Royal Borough of Greenwich on a memorial to Drummer Lee Rigby.

Stephen Williams: Her Majesty’s Government recognises that calls for a memorial have attracted broad support from the public. We would welcome a public memorial with the name of Drummer Lee Rigby to commemorate his death, and we see no reason why a memorial should not be put in place in Greenwich.My rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles), wrote a letter to the Royal Borough of Greenwich in June 2014 to urge the Council to work with the family of Lee Rigby to come up with a fitting memorial to him.Such memorials are usually funded through public subscription; such a scheme would be likely to be eligible for government funding through the DCMS Memorial Grant Scheme which refunds the cost of VAT incurred for the construction, renovation and maintenance of memorials.Britain has a long tradition of memorials to pay respect to the fallen, including memorials to mark acts of IRA terrorism on the British mainland. Our response to this murderous terrorist act in Greenwich should be no different.We believe that such a memorial would not only commemorate the life of Drummer Rigby, but also pay tribute to the bravery of the Armed Forces, and send a strong signal about our ongoing commitment to British liberties and British values.

Homelessness: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory homeless people there were in each constituency in Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Kris Hopkins: My Department does not hold this information which is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Social Rented Housing

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have been fined for non-payment of rent and services in social housing in each year since 2011.

Brandon Lewis: We do not hold this information. Office of Fair Trading guidance on unfair terms in tenancy agreements explains that they regard the imposition of a fixed daily or monthly charge for overdue rent as being penal rather than compensatory in nature and unfair (paragraph 3.46). Annex A of the guidance explains that the regulations apply to social housing tenancies (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284440/oft356.pdf).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Bahrain on (a) democratic participation in that country and (b) programmes aimed at increasing such participation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In the run-up to Bahrain’s elections in November 2014, the British Embassy in Bahrain held regular discussions with the government of Bahrain and Bahraini political groups to discuss progress on political dialogue and encourage broad participation and engagement in the electoral process.Following the elections, I discussed democratic participation in Bahrain with the Undersecretary of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group in December. The British Government will continue to encourage the government of Bahrain to build on the success of the recent elections and move forward with further human rights and political reform

Bahrain

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he and Ministers in his Department have made to their counterparts in Bahrain on the use of torture in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK regularly discusses issues of reform with the government of Bahrain. In January, My Rt Hon and noble Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Anelay met the Bahraini justice minister and discussed the importance of holding police officers accused of mistreatment to account. Our Ambassador to Bahrain has raised our concerns over allegations of torture and mistreatment with Bahraini ministers. In addition to voicing these concerns, the UK is providing practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain to prevent the use of torture and to address allegations of its use. In particular, the UK is providing support to the Ministry of Interior’s Ombudsman and the Special Investigations Unit, both of whom have responsibility for investigating allegations against security personnel. When allegations are made, we continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to investigate promptly, thoroughly and impartially and hold any person found guilty of such charges accountable.

Palestinians

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support cultural exchanges between artists and educators in the UK and their counterparts in Gaza.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British Council maintains a full-time office in Gaza, with a staff of three who are involved in supporting UK – Gaza interaction in the fields of culture and education. Access restrictions together with our current travel advice warning against travel to Gaza, makes this work hard. However, despite these difficulties, our ongoing commitment has recently yielded various training events for Gazan educators in the West Bank, and Gazan delegates attending the 2014 British Council regional workshop, on “Cultural Leadership and Innovation”, in Beruit.

Libya

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help Libya move towards peace in the short and medium term.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The growing instability, increased violence, and increasing presence of terrorist organisations, is a serious threat to Libya’s future. The UK strongly supports the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, and the UN Support Mission in Libya, to resolve the political and security crisis and pave the way for peaceful political dialogue. These negotiations should be pursued urgently, with the aim of laying the foundations for a Government of National Unity that can unite against extremism and bring stability to Libya. In parallel we are working with Libya and the international community to understand if there is more we can do now to tackle the increasing terrorist threat. Following a recent comprehensive review of all our programming activity in Libya, we have refocused our programme portfolio, providing support for political settlement efforts as the best long-term solution to the current conflict. In particular we are providing support to the Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Libyan Transition, Jonathan Powell, who is actively engaged with the UN mediation process led by Bernardino Leon.

South Sudan

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to end rape and sexual assault in South Sudan as part of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative; and what support the Government is providing to the authorities in South Sudan to ensure that the people responsible for such crimes in that country are held to account.

James Duddridge: South Sudan is a Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) priority country and we remain deeply concerned at the prevalence of sexual violence in the ongoing conflict. The UK is currently funding a project that is creating women's protection teams in local communities and the Department for International Development (DFID) is preparing to start a new Access to Justice Programme that will support victims of sexual violence and promote greater accountability. We also continue to press the government to meet the commitments made in the October 2014 joint communiqué between President Kiir and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Bangura.

Cyprus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Cyprus about the decision to allow the Russian military to use port facilities on that island.

Mr David Lidington: We are aware of reports of recent agreements, including military agreements, between the Republic of Cyprus and Russia. It is our understanding that the military aspects represent a continuation of existing arrangements. The United Kingdom remains fully engaged on a range of security and military issues with the Republic of Cyprus. The EU has sent a united message to Russia that its actions in Ukraine are in flagrant breach of international law, and all member states, including Cyprus, unanimously agreed to impose measures against Russia in response to these actions.

Mexico

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the monitoring of human rights in Mexico; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: I would like to thank the hon. Member for his efforts to promote discussion of human rights in Mexico via the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mexico and the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group. The promotion and protection of human rights are a key priority for this Government and I receive regular reports from my officials on the human rights situation in Mexico, including the recent tragic events in Iguala and Tlatlaya. We maintain a regular dialogue with the Mexican government on human rights as part of our strong bilateral relationship. We also work with non-government organisations (NGOs) and human rights defenders both here and in Mexico on these issues.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s human rights work in Mexico has focused on tackling impunity as a way of improving human rights across the country. These include projects to:support the move to adversarial trials in the state of Chiapas and in Mexico City;build the capacity of police to investigate crimes under this new system in the states of Aguascalientes, Baja California and San Luis Potosí;work with Mexican human rights NGO Centro Prodh on enforced disappearances, and protections for journalists and human rights defenders.

Mexico

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had on human rights in Mexico with President Peña Nieto during his visit to London in March 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK and Mexico share an excellent – and rapidly developing – bilateral relationship, which has been further strengthened by the State Visit of President Enrique Peña Nieto. As the Joint Declaration, signed on 4 march by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Mexican Foreign Minister makes clear, finding ways to work together to improve the lives of people in both countries and to build respect for human rights is central to our bilateral relationship. During their meeting on Wednesday, the Prime Minister and President Pena Nieto discussed a wide range of issues, including on human rights and rule of law. They also agreed on the importance of accountability, transparency and open government. The President also held discussions with both the Deputy Prime Minster and the Leader of the Opposition.

Mexico

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise the issue of human rights in Mexico at the current session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) to the House on 3 March, Official Report, column 803, in which he said "We have a strong relationship with Mexico. We use that to seek improvements to Mexico’s human rights record and to give Mexico practical help in trying to improve its judicial and police systems in particular".UK priorities at the current session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva are: the renewal of UN mandates on Syria, Burma and Iran; increasing international attention on Libya, Ukraine and DPRK; responding to UN reports on Gaza and ISIL activity in Iraq; and thematic resolutions on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Combating Religious Intolerance and Privacy.

Leader of the House

Out of Area Treatment

Hywel Williams: To ask the Leader of the House, what plans the Government has to facilitate Wales and England cross-border health policy debate after his proposals for English votes for English laws have been implemented.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Leader of the House, what the effects on the budgets of the devolved administrations will be from his proposals for English votes for English laws.

Mr William Hague: On 16 December 2014, the Government published 'the Implications of Devolution for England' covering proposals on decentralisation within England and proposals on English Votes on English Laws. Whichever option is ultimately decided upon must be clear, decisive and effective in producing fairness for the whole United Kingdom. In the absence of an agreed Government position, I am unable to speculate on the potential effects of any proposal.

Backbenchers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps he has taken to enhance the role of backbenchers.

Mr William Hague: One of the most significant reforms to have taken place in this Parliament has been the establishment of the Backbench Business Committee, which has given backbenchers the ability to bid for debates of their choosing in both the Chamber and Westminster Hall.I welcome this successful innovation and look forward to the Committee's own appraisal of what has worked well, and what has not, since 2010, to see if there are any further improvements that could be made.

Attorney General

Crime: Victims

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Attorney General, in how many cases since the introduction of the Victims' Right to Review Scheme have the Crown Prosecution Service changed a decision following a victim's request for a review.

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Attorney General, how many victims of crime have asked the Crown Prosecution Service to review a decision not to bring charges or to terminate proceedings since the introduction of the Victims' Right to Review Scheme.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)’s Victims’ Right to Review scheme came into effect on 5 June 2013. Between the date the scheme commenced and 31 December 2014, the CPS has reviewed 2,423 appeals of which 315 (13.0%) were upheld.   The number of decisions overturned represents a very small fraction of all the decisions made by CPS lawyers. During the period from 1 June 2013 to 31 December 2014, the CPS finalised 198,786 cases with a qualifying decision. This means that approximately 0.16% of cases that would qualify under the scheme resulted in an upheld Appeal.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Environment Protection: South West

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage innovation in low carbon technology in the South West of England; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 02 March 2015



Innovation is a key contributor to economic growth and is vital to build future green growth. Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, supports business-led innovation in a range of areas which contribute to a low-carbon future. It has funded £18.5m for Low Carbon Technology projects in the South West of England since 2010.   All SW Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have recognised the potential from investment in low carbon sectors in their Strategic Economic Plans. There are a number of key projects supporting investment in low carbon included in LEP Growth Deals secured in July 2014 and enhanced in January this year. The ‘Heart of the SW LEP Growth Deal’ includes:   Projects supporting Hinkley Point C nuclear power station – this major development presents enormous opportunities to local people who can train to work there, and to companies in the supply chain.Investment in innovation centres and science parks in Exeter, Plymouth and Bridgwater will help start and grow dynamic businesses in sectors likely to see the biggest growth in the next ten years, areas like environmental futures, marine renewables and nuclear energy.   Local specific projects include:   · Bridgwater College supporting construction skills for Hinkley - £5m skills capital investment for 15/16. · Hinkley Point Training Agency – to train local people to take advantage of job opportunities at the new nuclear power station - £6.5m, including £3m in 2015/16. · Low Carbon Innovation & Collaboration Centre – a new building to support Hinkley supply chain and innovation - £3.9m, including £2m in 2015/16. · Marine Industries Production Campus at South Yard in Plymouth – part of the Plymouth & Peninsula City Deal project to transfer land from the MoD and establish a marine sector campus with strong emphasis on marine renewables opportunities - £1.5m.

Small Businesses: Advisory Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what programmes are administered by the Business Bank; and how many businesses received support from each such programme in each month since those programmes began.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Small Businesses: Advisory Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of support provided by each Business Bank programme was from a non-major bank in each month since those programmes began.

Matthew Hancock: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) is the only British Business Bank programme administered through the major banks. The proportion has risen very sharply over the past five years. The table below shows the flow of EFG loans administered by non-major banks by number of loans per quarter. For the purpose of this question the major banks have been defined as HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Quarter% EFG loans provided by non-big four banks (by number of loans)Jan - March 20094%April - June 20096%July - Sept 20098%Oct - Dec 200910%Jan - March 201011%April - June 201010%July - Sept 201011%Oct - Dec 201011%Jan - March 201111%April - June 201111%July - Sept 201113%Oct - Dec 201112%Jan - March 201214%April - June 201213%July - Sept 201211%Oct - Dec 201214%Jan - March 201315%April - June 201314%July - Sept 201314%Oct - Dec 201317%Jan - March 201414%April - June 201415%July - Sept 201421%Oct - Dec 201426%

Business: Advisory Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many growth vouchers have been (a) issued and (b) redeemed to date; how many businesses have made enquiries on the growth vouchers scheme; and how many applications for growth vouchers have been received in each month since the scheme started.

Matthew Hancock: Since the pioneering research programme began on 27 January 2014, 12,130 businesses have been issued with a growth voucher, and 2,095 vouchers have been redeemed to date. The total figure on vouchers redeemed will be available in July 2015 as the last vouchers expire at the end of June.   There have been over 26,197 applications in total and 16,428 small businesses have been given advice on what support they should be seeking.   A monthly breakdown is below:   MonthNumber of applications receivedJanuary 2014519February 2014927March 2014673April 2014675May 2014699June 2014553July 20141,819August 20141,952September 20141,591October 20141,632November 20141,606December 20144,421January 20153,097February 20155,594   The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not collect data on the number of business enquiries to the Growth Voucher programme. However, the 115,316 visits to the Growth Voucher eligibility page on www.gov.uk gives an indication on the number businesses making enquires on the Growth Voucher scheme.

Electrical Engineering: Graduates

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many electrical engineers graduated from UK universities in each of the last 10 years.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he expects to publish the findings of the Government's employment review to improve the clarity and status of the employment of the British workforce.

Jo Swinson: We intend to publish in due course.

Property Searches

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what financial support his Department will provide to local authorities for centralising the local land charges registers.

Matthew Hancock: The cost of any required digitisation will be met by Land Registry and not by local authorities. Furthermore, Land Registry along with the Department for Communities and Local Government Association will work together to assess any burdens the measures may place on local authorities.

Property Searches

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost of centralisation of local land charges registers.

Matthew Hancock: Centralisation of the local land charges register with Land Registry will replace a fragmented, often degrading paper system with a local land charges service fit for the 21st Century with consistent turnaround times, standard fees and easy access to a composite digital register.   Land Registry is currently engaged in dialogue with HM Treasury in relation to the costs of centralisation. Given the early stage of the dialogue, it is not possible to reveal full details of the costs. An updated version of the Impact assessment which will contain further detail of the costs (for the purpose of measuring the impact) will be published in the near future.

Property Searches

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how CON29 search data will be allocated when LLC1 data has been centralised.

Matthew Hancock: The new measures relate only to Local Land Charges (LLC1). CON29 is a non-statutory service providing information from a range of sources and Local Authorities will continue to conduct CON29 searches. .

Property Searches

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to implement the changes to local land charges registers resulting from the Infrastructure Act 2015.

Matthew Hancock: Implementation will be phased. For each Local Authority, the first step will be collating the data they hold and checking it is accurate. The checked datasets will then need to be transformed into a digital format before being transferred into the central register Land Registry will create. The Local Land Charges service will only transfer from individual Local Authorities to the Land Registry once this process has been completed, and is functioning.   Implementation will also require a range of secondary legislation to support the changes (for example, Local Land Charges Rules), including expected timing for this to take place.   Those rules will be the subject of a public consultation, currently planned for September 2015.

Property Searches

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what alternatives he considered to centralising local land charges in the Land Registry; and what assessment he made of the appropriateness and cost effectiveness of those alternatives.

Matthew Hancock: A range of options were identified but centralising the local land charges register with Land Registry was found to be the most effective way to create national register using a single digital solution.

Overseas Students

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2015 to Question 223288, what steps he is taking to encourage institutions of further and higher education to put in place financial protection for overseas students.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

New Businesses: Bradford

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new business start-ups there have been in (a) Bradford East constituency and (b) Bradford (i) since 2010 and (ii) from 2005 to 2010.

Matthew Hancock: Amazingly, data on start-ups is not available for years before 2008. The estimated number of business start-ups in a) the Bradford East constituency and b) Bradford local authority from 2008 and 2014 are shown in the table below.   YearBusiness start-ups in the Bradford East constituencyBusiness start-ups in Bradford local authority20086403,04020095903,05020107303,56020117603,58020126703,28020136203,05020145602,740Total for period 2010 to 20143,33016,220 Source: BankSearch: number of new business bank accounts opened. All figures rounded to the nearest 10.

Department for International Development

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the numbers of internally displaced Sunni former residents of Iraqi cities taken over by ISIL.

Justine Greening: The United Nations estimates that there are almost 2.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Iraq. We do not hold data on the religious, ethnic nor geographic background of IDPs.   The UK is extremely concerned by the plight of people displaced due to the advance of ISIL in Iraq, and to date has provided £39.5 million to help address the humanitarian situation.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to help the Iraqi government support the return of former residents of cities previously occupied by ISIL in Iraq who fled those cities upon occupation.

Justine Greening: DFID is working closely with the Government of Iraq and the UN to provide humanitarian assistance to the almost 2.5 million internally displaced people (IDP) across Iraq. While we are determined that people will be able to return home to a stable, safe and secure environment, for the majority of IDPs this is not yet possible. The UK will continue to work with the Government of Iraq and international partners to ensure adequate planning is in place to allow IDPs to return home at such a time as it is safe to do so.

Developing Countries: Tax Collection

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of tax collection capacity in developing countries.

Justine Greening: DFID is currently engaged in tax capacity building in 22 of our 28 priority countries. We are also developing tax capacity building work in a further 4 priority countries. This includes indirect support through multilateral organisations. We have established a specialist Developing Country Capacity Building Unit in HMRC, to deploy HMRC staff to provide technical expertise in support of these efforts.

Overseas Aid

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the performance of the UK Aid Transparency Guarantee.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Publish What You Fund’s Aid Transparency Index 2014 rated DFID’s transparency as “very good”, and ranked DFID as the best performing bilateral development organisation on transparency. It also recognised DFID’s leadership role encouraging others in the international development system to be more transparent. A pilot assessment in April 2014 published by the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation also rated DFID as having made the most progress in implementing the aid transparency commitments agreed by donors at the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011. DFID has launched the Development Tracker website which enables anyone to scrutinise project documents, budgets, supplier contracts and transactions.

International Assistance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that environmental sustainability features within every part of the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals framework.

Justine Greening: Ensuring that environmental sustainability and climate change are clearly integrated into the Sustainable Development Goals is a key priority for the UK Government. The UK government is actively engaged in the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations through the UN, working with all member states, to agree the post-2015 framework.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what organisations were awarded UK Aid Match funds in 2014; and how many have received their year 1 tranche of funds.

Justine Greening: In 2014, 25 organisations were awarded funding for project proposals submitted to the UK Aid Match scheme and nine of these organisations have already started receiving funds in line with agreed disbursements.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2015 to Question 221047, whether the application of the OECD's Statistical Reporting Directives to income received results in income from returnable investments being treated as negative ODA.

Justine Greening: All UK ODA is reported in line with the OECD’s Statistical Reporting Directives. The income received from returnable investments previously reported as ODA is treated as negative ODA.

Department for Education

GCE A-level: GCE AS-level

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of decoupling the AS-level qualification from the A-level qualification.

Mr Nick Gibb: In 2012, Ofqual published an impact assessment which included estimated costs and benefits of A level reform. This assessment is available here: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140807151639/http://ofqual.gov.uk/documents/impact-assessment-of-a-level-reforms/

Primary Education: Teachers

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school teachers in each parliamentary constituency in England have a science degree.

Mr David Laws: The attached table provides the headcount number and percentage of all regular teachers in service in primary schools in each constituency in England with a degree in a science subject in November 2013. This is the latest information available. 



Teachers with a science degree in England - Nov 13
(Excel SpreadSheet, 107 KB)

Teachers: Training

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Teach First participants who remain in (a) their original position and (b) teaching after their initial two year training programme in (i) Hull and (ii) nationally in (A) 2014-15 and (B) 2009-10.

Mr David Laws: There are nationally 3,704 Teach First participants who started since 2009/10 and are still teaching in schools today. This includes 1,338 who have completed the programme and 2,366 currently training in England. Teach First started placing trainees in Hull in 2011. Since then 28 trainees have completed the programme in the Kingston upon Hull local area. 19 of those teachers are still teaching, with 13 still in Kingston upon Hull local authority. Nationally, 1,387 participants started the Teach First programme in June 2014. Out of the 2014 trainee cohort, 11 are currently training in Kingston upon Hull local authority across five schools: Archbishop Sentamu Academy (2)Kingswood Academy (3)Sirius Academy (2)Winifred Holtby Academy (2)Thomas Ferens Academy (2)

Free School Meals: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools in which parliamentary constituencies in Birmingham applied for additional funding for universal infant free school meals; and which schools in which parliamentary constituencies in Birmingham received funding from the additional funds allocated in the capital funding round for universal infant free school meals.

Mr David Laws: Applications for additional capital funding for universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) were submitted for a total of 12 schools within Birmingham Local Authority. On 20 January, the Department for Education published the names and parliamentary constituencies of schools whose application for funding was successful, these can be viewed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-capital-funding-allocations

Ministry of Justice

Mediation

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to promote mediation in the resolution of family and other legal disputes; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes: In order to promote the use of mediation as a first step towards dispute resolution for separating families, as of 22 April 2014 it is now a legislative requirement that anyone considering applying to court for an order about their children or finances is legally obliged to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) first, unless specific exemptions apply (for example domestic violence). Following this legislative change, attendance at MIAMs increased in consecutive quarters, with 4,023 couples attending a MIAM between Jul-Sept 2014, which is a rise of 11% from the previous quarter and 20% from Jul-Sept 2013. Mediation starts are also rising, with an increase from 1783 in the period Apr-Jun 2014 to 1896 in the period Jul-Sep 2014. We know that there is a perception by some people that legal aid no longer covers mediation or legal help for mediation. This is not the case, and it is vital that this message is communicated as effectively as possible. Legal aid remains available for family mediation and for legal advice to support family mediation. In addition, as of 3 November 2014, the first single session of mediation is publicly funded in all cases provided one of the people involved is already legally aided. In these cases, both participants will be funded for the MIAM and for the first session of mediation. The combination of the compulsory MIAM and free first mediation session will help to introduce more people to the benefits of mediation, and away from the courts. A communications campaign - ‘First Stop: Family Mediation’ - has been launched to promote family mediation, and how to access it, and publicising the availability of legal aid for those who are eligible. The campaign went live on 2 January 2015 and includes online advertising, Google key word searches and Google Display adverts that direct people to the Family Mediation Council website and in particular, the find your local mediator tool. Other initiatives included a sponsored Q&A discussion on Mumsnet as well as a social media campaign and media relations in the consumer media. This has resulted in a 320% increase in visitors to the FMC website in the first two months of the year as of 28 February this year compared to the last six months of 2014. The campaign runs until 20 March. To support the mediation profession, with MoJ assistance and guidance, the Family Mediation Council introduced a new Professional Standards Framework from 1 January 2015. This will provide the basis for a much needed consistent approach in how mediators should operate. It will allow the general public - the clients of mediation – to be confident in the service that is being provided; they will know what it means to go to mediation; they will understand that mediators are to be trusted as properly trained and accredited practitioners; and most importantly, they will know they are protected by a properly regulated profession. More widely, the Government actively encourages mediation in civil litigation cases through its support of the small-claims mediation service, and the mediation referral website. Signposting literature in the Courts, various provisions in the Civil Procedure Rules and the numerous pre-action protocols promote this. In addition the MoJ has received the Civil Justice Council’s report on Online Dispute Resolution for Low Value Civil Claims, and will respond in due course.

Domestic Violence: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2015 to Question 224736, how many domestic violence court sittings took place in each magistrates court in Lancashire in 2014; and how many domestic violence trials took place in each of those courts during those sittings.

Andrew Selous: The information requested in relation to the magistrates’ courts in Lancashire is not held and could only be provided by accessing and examining individual court case files at a disproportionate cost. The computer system for the magistrates’ court does not break down court sessions sat or trial data into specific types of cases.

Burial and Cremation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review burial and cremation law.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice keeps in close touch with all key people and organisations in the burial and cremation industry to make sure that good practice is shared. The Government appreciates that burial and cremation law and practice are of particular concern to those affected by previous practices at Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury. We have the greatest sympathy for the parents in these cases and await the report of the independent inquiry into infant cremations at Emstrey, commissioned by Shropshire County Council, which is due to be published in April 2015. When the Department of Health implements its death certification reforms, the Ministry of Justice will also amend its cremation regulations to reflect the changes to cremation authorisation processes. Planning for these reforms will present an opportunity for consultation and to consider the recommendations both of the Shropshire inquiry and the 2014 Infant Cremation Commission in Scotland.

Victim Personal Statements

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what proportion of relevant cases were victim impact statements submitted to Crown courts in criminal proceedings in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: We published a new Victims’ Code in December 2013 which sets out in plain language what support and information people should expect from the moment they report a crime to the end of a trial and beyond and who to demand help from if they are not receiving it. Significantly, for the first time it entitles victims and bereaved relatives to ask to read out their Victim Personal Statement (VPS) to the court before an offender is sentenced. This gives them the opportunity to explain in their own words how the crime has affected them and their family. HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not record information in relation to the number and proportion of cases in which victim personal statements are submitted in criminal proceedings. The Government has made a commitment to monitor criminal justice agencies’ compliance with the Victims’ Code and in Our Commitment to Victims, published on 15 September 2014, we announced that criminal justice agencies will publish information on how they have improved services for victims by April 2015.

Young Offenders: Asbestos

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of children that have been exposed to asbestos while serving a custodial sentence in the last five years.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of youth custody establishments which contain asbestos.

Andrew Selous: We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all young people in custody. Prison Service Order 3802, issued in 2004 ensures that Governors, Area Managers and Heads of Groups have systems in place against the accidental release of asbestos fibres within Young Offenders Institutions. I will write to the hon Member on any incidents of exposure within the last five years, as it has not been possible to determine this information within the timescale permitted. There is no asbestos at the Secure Training Centre sites. Responsibility for managing any asbestos-related risks in Secure Children’s Homes would rest with their managers and owners, who are all local authorities, and information is not held centrally.

Prime Minister

Nuclear Power: EU Action

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions on nuclear power policy he had with his Austrian counterpart and other representatives of the Austrian government during the European Council meeting in Brussels from 12 to 13 February 2015.

Mr David Cameron: At the European Council on 12 February, during discussions with Chancellor Faymann about the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, I emphasised the right of all EU Member States to determine their own energy mix, including nuclear, to be able to meet their own future energy needs and climate change targets. I will continue to argue this case robustly.

Russia

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral evidence to the Liaison Committee on 24 February 2015, what assessment he has made of the military threat posed by Russia in the Baltic states.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave in response to the right hon. Member for Croydon South (Mr Ottaway), and to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith) at the Liaison Committee on 24 February 2015. A transcript can be found on the parliament.uk website.

Scotland Office

Procurement

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the total value of contracts his Department has with private sector providers was in each of the last five years for which records are available.

David Mundell: Other than minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.In each of the last five financial years, the total value of the contracts the Scotland Office had with private sector providers is shown below:2009-10£88,697.012010-11£88,698.012011-12£91549.262012-13£94,400.512013-14£121,322.30All of the contracts relate to accommodation services and a proportion of the costs are recharged to other departments which share accommodation with the Scotland Office.

Department for Work and Pensions

Training

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed in his Department was in each of the last three financial years.

Esther McVey: The below figures relate to e-learning, the events delivered via Civil Service Learning and the learning days delivered by DWP Operations. It should however also be noted that additional development activity would have been undertaken which is not captured here, as well as the fact that Civil Service Learning was not created until 1st January 2012. The average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed by the Department in each of the last three financial years is as follows:  Total training daysFTEAverage No. training daysApr 11 – Mar 12310,239.4888,626.403.5Apr 12 – Mar 13253,658.2185,129.223.0Apr 13 – Mar 14261,155.8883,941.673.2 The decrease in training days after 2011/12 is partly explained by the formation of CSL in 2012, which led to a rationalisation of the number of learning events to provide better focussed high quality events more targeted to specific learning needs and organisational requirements. The establishment of a common curriculum of products for learning provision across the Civil Service through CSL reduced duplication and overlap between courses and a more blended approach led to more learning activity taking place through E learning and other interventions rather than a classroom based solution.

Natural Gas: Rented Housing

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to bring forward proposals to amend Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to introduce MOT-style 13 month gas appliance and flue servicing duties on landlords.

Mr Mark Harper: There are no current plans to amend Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 in respect of the provision for landlords’ annual gas safety checks. The Regulations already clearly set out the legal requirements for landlords to carry out a safety check on gas fittings within 12 months of installation and at intervals of not more than 12 months since they were last checked for safety.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the scoring system in his Department's new guidelines for claimants with mental health issues to decide eligibility for support groups differentiates between men and women.

Mr Mark Harper: The criteria for eligibility for the support group in Employment and Support Allowance remains the same for men and women. The updated guidance for healthcare professionals on the assessment of risk in claimants with a Mental Health condition was developed with input from senior psychiatrists. It differentiates between men and women in relation to suicide risk because the suicide rate in men is significantly higher than in women. The guidance makes clear that the assessment of risk needs to focus both on the claimant’s health and whether the claimant could cope with work-related activity.

Ministry of Defence

Libya

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2014 to Question 214129 on Libyan personnel on Bassingbourn base, for what reasons 16 Libyan General Purpose Force trainees were arrested; what information his Department holds on the whereabouts of those 11 trainees not remanded in custody; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 15 January 2015



During the course of training, eleven trainees were arrested but not subsequently charged. All eleven were returned to Libya shortly after their release from police custody with the cooperation of the Libyan authorities. The alleged offences were grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, common assault, rape and an offence under section 4 of the public order act (causing fear or provocation of violence).Cambridgeshire Constabulary has advised that the release of further information at this stage could both prejudice the ongoing police investigations into trainees who are currently facing criminal charges and compromise any future criminal justice proceedings.

AWE

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected operational dates are for Project Pegasus and Project Mensa at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Mr Philip Dunne: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 February 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Project Pegasus received Main Gate approval in August 2011 with an approved cost of £634 million. Project Mensa received Main Gate approval in May 2011 with an approved cost of £734 million.Both projects' approved in-service dates are between 2016 and 2020. Consistent with industry best practice, major projects are regularly reviewed and may seek revised approvals if a robust evidence base is established.

Mr Philip Dunne: Project Pegasus received Main Gate approval in August 2011 with an approved cost of £634 million. Project Mensa received Main Gate approval in May 2011 with an approved cost of £734 million.Both projects' approved in-service dates are between 2016 and 2020. Consistent with industry best practice, major projects are regularly reviewed and may seek revised approvals if a robust evidence base is established.

AWE

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected out-turn expenditure is on (a) Project Pegasus and (b) Project Mensa at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Mr Philip Dunne: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 February 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Project Pegasus received Main Gate approval in August 2011 with an approved cost of £634 million. Project Mensa received Main Gate approval in May 2011 with an approved cost of £734 million.Both projects' approved in-service dates are between 2016 and 2020. Consistent with industry best practice, major projects are regularly reviewed and may seek revised approvals if a robust evidence base is established.

Mr Philip Dunne: Project Pegasus received Main Gate approval in August 2011 with an approved cost of £634 million. Project Mensa received Main Gate approval in May 2011 with an approved cost of £734 million.Both projects' approved in-service dates are between 2016 and 2020. Consistent with industry best practice, major projects are regularly reviewed and may seek revised approvals if a robust evidence base is established.

Procurement

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what total value of new Phase 2 Small Business Research Initiative contracts were awarded by his Department in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what total value of new Phase 2 Small Business Research Initiative contracts have been awarded by his Department in 2014-15 to date; and for how many contracts to what value his Department has budgeted for the full year.

Mr Philip Dunne: Holding answer received on 02 March 2015



Information on Phase 2 contracts is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Afghanistan

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will launch an inquiry into the conduct of the war in Afghanistan.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 04 March 2015



The Ministry of Defence has been learning lessons through our operations in Afghanistan, from better detection and defusing of IEDs to the training of Afghan forces to ensure they can provide their own security. Our recent focus has been on successful drawdown from the ISAF combat mission and transition to the NATO Resolute Support Mission. The Government will want to look at broader lessons that can be learned from the campaign. The Government will consider how best to do that in a way that would enable it to implement any lessons learnt quickly and practically so they have a real impact.

Biological Weapons

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many biological warfare casualty treatment facilities his Department has in place; and what the state of readiness of those facilities is.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Biological Weapons

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces are trained in biological warfare; and what plans he has to increase the number of such people.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Army: Recruitment

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits have enlisted in (a) the Regular Army and (b) the Reserve Forces in each region of the UK since Capita was awarded the contract for recruiting.

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits enlisted in (a) the Regular Army and (b) the Reserve Forces in each region of the UK in the 12 months preceding the award of the contract for recruiting to Capita.

Mr Julian Brazier: Recruiting for both the Regular Army and Army Reserve is measured on a nationwide basis. Since April 2013 the Army's recruiting has been processed centrally as part of the Recruit Partnering Project (RPP), with applications made online rather than solely at local careers offices. Official statistics for the Regular Army and Army Reserve intake of untrained and trained direct entrants for the period 2012-13 (the year preceding the start of RPP) and then up to 31 December 2014 are shown below:  Intake2012-132013-142014-15to 31 December 2014 Regular10,3007,0205,340 Reserve3,9602,9603,600

Army: Recruitment

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what savings to the public purse have been made to date from the award of the contract for Army recruiting to Capita; and how many Army personnel have been reassigned to recruiting during that period.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Rolls-Royce

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he or officials of his Department have had with representatives of Rolls-Royce in the last six months on supply to his Department.

Mr Philip Dunne: In common with other Ministry of Defence key suppliers, Ministers and officials hold regular routine discussions with Rolls-Royce on all aspects of our business with the company.

Rolls-Royce

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department has received from (a) Rolls-Royce and (b) Rolls-Royce employees on relocation of operations.

Mr Philip Dunne: As with all suppliers, Rolls-Royce does, from time to time, inform us of changes to its defence activities as part of our routine communications. We have been made aware of proposed changes at the Rolls-Royce Ansty site, however, decisions on the relocation of operations are purely a matter for the company.

Rolls-Royce

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what financial support his Department (a) provides and (b) plans to provide to Rolls-Royce.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence contracts for capability and does not provide additional financial support to Rolls-Royce.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) children and (b) instructors in the cadet forces that have been exposed to asbestos while utilising his Department's property.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of his Department's properties containing asbestos which are available for use by the cadet forces.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Home Office

Borders: Personal Records

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passengers have travelled to the UK on routes connected to the Semaphore system since 2009.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office collects Advance Passenger Information for passengers who travel to and from the UK on routes connected to the Semaphore system. The passenger figures for journeys to the UK are only available from May 2010.The estimated number of passengers who travelled to the UK on routes connected to the Semaphore system from May 2010 to the end of 2014 is 350 million. Obtaining data older than five years is currently against data protection legislation unless it is specifically for a visa related query.

Human Trafficking: Albania

Sir John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the 449 potential victims of trafficking from Albania referred to in the National Crime Agency's National Referral Mechanism Statistics 2014 have received a (a) positive Reasonable Grounds decision, (b) positive Conclusive Grounds decision, (c) negative Reasonable Grounds decision and (d) negative Conclusive Grounds decision on their immigration status; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 23 February 2015



As of 2 January 2015, of the 449 potential victims of trafficking from Albania referred to in the National Crime Agency's 2014 National Referral Mechanism Statistics:a) 406 have received a positive Reasonable Grounds decision;b) 35 have received a positive Conclusive Grounds decision;c) 23 have received a negative Reasonable Grounds decision; andd) 86 have received a negative Conclusive Grounds decision. The NRM decision is independent of the decision on an individual’s immigration status. This information is taken from data used in the UK Human Trafficking Centre’s Statistical and Trend Update: October to December 2014, which was published on 23 February 2015. The next quarterly report is due to be published in May.Some of the outstanding cases in the data from 2 January have since been completed. Where cases are outstanding this may be because UKVI are waiting for information from third parties, such as the police or support providers. Individuals will continue to receive Government-funded specialist support and accommodation until their case is concluded.

Overseas Students

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that international students and graduates are exempted from targets to reduce net migration.

James Brokenshire: International students are included in net migration statistics which are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also include students in their net migration figures.The ONS has recently improved its methodology so that it is possible to better identify students in the emigration flows to give a more accurate measure of the contribution of students to overall net migration. The ONS estimates that in the year ending September 2014, 133,000, non-EU students came to Britainto stay for more than 12 months, but only 48,000 left the country.All migrants who are in the UK for 12 months or more have an impact on our communities, infrastructure and public services. Changing the way we measure migration would not make any difference to our student migration policy. Nonetheless, the United Kingdom welcomes the brightest and best students from around the globe to our world-class universities. There is no cap on the number of students who can come to the UK. All those who are sponsored by a reputable institution, have the right qualifications and sufficient funds to support themselves and can speak adequate English can study here. The UK has an excellent offer for international students, and as a result remains the second most popular destination for international higher education students. The latest figures show that between 2012/13 and 2013/14 academic years there has been a 6% increase (to 165,515) of full time non-EU new entrants to UK Higher Education Providers.

Free Movement of People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to restrict rights of nationals of states acceding to the EU to enter and work in the UK.

James Brokenshire: We have been clear that, unlike the previous Government, we will always impose the toughest possible transitional controls on free movement from new Member States. As the Prime Minister has said we will insist that, when new countries are admitted to the EU in future, there are new arrangements in place to prevent a repeat of the mass migration that resulted from the previous Government’s failure to impose robust transitional controls in 2004.

Overseas Students: Deportation

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign students at schools and colleges that have lost their right to sponsor such students were removed from the UK in each of the last four years.

James Brokenshire: Immigration removal statistics do not capture the category in which those removed originally came to the UK. Since 2010, UK Visas and Immigration have removed more than 860 education institutions from the register of those licensed to recruit international students to the UK. Students whose sponsors’ licence has been revoked must find a new licensed sponsor or leave the UK within 60 days of notification.

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals her Department's Counter-Terrorism Referrals Unit has made to (a) Facebook, (b) Twitter, (c) Google and Youtube and (d) other websites or service providers in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 03 March 2015



The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) is a police unit, based in the Met but with a national function. This unit is not able to release data on referrals made to specific companies as this may provide terrorist groups with useful information. Since its creation in 2010, CTIRU has secured the removal of more than 75,000 pieces of terrorist and extremist content.

Foreign Nationals: USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of the United States are domiciled in the UK; and how many of those nationals have received visas to work (a) in the banking sector and (b) elsewhere in the financial services sector.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold data on the number of US nationals who are domiciled in the UK. The concept of domicile is not linked exclusively to a person’s immigration status, nor does the fact that a person is deemed to have domicile in the UK necessarily mean that they are currently present in the UK.Information on those domiciled in the UK is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs https://www.gov.uk/tax-foreign-income/non-domiciled-residents

Overseas Students: Deportation

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many schools and colleges that have had their right to sponsor overseas students removed have been subject to criminal proceedings in each of the last four years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not recorded in this way.Immigration Enforcement prosecutes individuals rather than schoolsand companies who have had their right to sponsor overseas studentsremoved.It would be a disproportionate cost to disaggregate information on the number of individuals prosecuted for this offence from all of those prosecuted.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-EU students who were given visas to study in the UK failed to leave the UK after their studies had ended in each of the last four years.

James Brokenshire: In 2012, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) changed its methodology to provide a better indicator of how many people leaving the UK first came here as students. The ONS uses this data to estimate that in the year to September 2014, 133,000 non-EU students came to the UK to study for more than 12 months while only 48,000 left - a difference of 85,000. This is partly because students are able to extend their Tier 4 visa or switch into another immigration route in-country, and so remain in the UK. Therefore student emigration or the lack of it is a key driver of overall net migration.The Immigration Act 2014 has provided new powers to implement exit checks, which the last Labour government scrapped in 1998. The data collected by exitchecks will provide the most comprehensive picture we have ever had of whetherthose who enter the UK leave when they are supposed to. The Act will also stop migrants using public services to which they are not entitled, reduce the factors which encourage people to come to the UK and make it easier to remove people who should not be here.

Criminal Proceedings: Diplomatic Immunity

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many criminal cases were abandoned between January 2014 and January 2015 as a result of diplomatic immunity.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not collect data centrally from police forces on the number of criminal cases that are abandoned as a result of diplomatic immunity.

Police: North West

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers of what rank retired from each police force in the North West in each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14.

Mike Penning: The table provided shows the number of police officer retirements, by rank, for each police force in the North West of England from 2009/10 to 2013/14. These figures include normal retirements and medical retirements.   



Number of police officer retirements
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.09 KB)

Immigrants: Detainees

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are detained in prison for immigration control purposes under the service level agreement between her Department and the National Offender Management Service; and when that agreement is due to be renewed.

James Brokenshire: As at 15 December 2014 there were 394 detainees held in prison establishments in England and Wales solely under Immigration powers as set out in the Immigration Act 1971 or UK Borders Act 2007. The current Service Level Agreement between the Home Office and National Offender Management Service (NOMS) ends on 31 March 2015. The Home Office is in negotiation with NOMS to renew the agreement.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Destitution Domestic Violence (DDV) concessions were granted to individuals on a UK partner visa whose relationship has broken down because of domestic violence in each of the last three years; and how many individuals granted a DDV concession were later granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in each of those years.

James Brokenshire: The number of individuals who have been granted a Destitution Domestic Violence (DDV) concession, since the concession was introduced on 1 April 2012 is as follows:2012 – 4552013 – 6502014 – 665The number of individuals who have been granted a DDV concession who have then been granted indefinite leave to remain, since the concession was introduced on 1 April 2012 is as follows:2012 – 1252013 – 2702014 - 290

British Nationals Abroad: Armed Conflict

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of British nationals who have travelled to fight in Iraq and Syria who have been subjects of interest in investigations carried out by the Security Services in the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Around 600 people from the UK who are of interest to the security services are thought to have travelled to the region since the start of the conflict.

Police: Pensions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police officers have information on the amount of pension they would receive under a new pension scheme before they are required to make a decision on their participation in such a scheme.

Mike Penning: The 2015 Police Pension Regulations will be laid before Parliament todayto allow the new pension scheme for Police Officers to come into force on 1 April. The Home Office has published guidance for members of the scheme alongside side this which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/police-pension-reformInformation about the principles of the reforms has been in the public domain for some time. This includes: the Reform Design Framework which was published on the Home Office Website in September 2012; an online calculator which allows officers to determine what benefits they might receive under the new arrangements; and guidance that specifies which officers qualify for transitional protection.

Religious Hatred

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help to promote awareness of Tell MAMA and (b) encourage reporting of anti-Muslim incidents.

Lynne Featherstone: The Coalition Government is committed to building confidence and making it easier for victims of all types of hate crime to come forward and report what has happened to them.We are working with key voluntary sector organisations to encourage greater reporting of all hate crimes, for example through the use of third party reporting services such as Tell MAMA. We are also working closely with the police to support the development of their True Vision website, which allows victims of hate crime to report it electronically. We provided start-up funding for the Tell MAMA website in 2011/12, and we have also set up the first ever cross-government working group on anti-Muslim hatred. As part of this group, Home Office officials engage with Muslim communities to increase awareness of hate crime against Muslim communities and organisations.

Police: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police officers employed in Wrexham constituency for frontline duties in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not collect police workforce information at the requested level. The deployment of available resources is a matter for chief officers locally, working with their Police and Crime Commissioner.At the overall police force area level, according to the definitions set out by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, North Wales Police plan to have 1428 police officers working in frontline roles by March 2015. This represents 95 % of the total police officer workforce compared to 92%(1,458 officers) in March 2010. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has made clear there is no simple link between officer numbers and crime levels. This is supported by the reduction in crime of more than one fifth under this Government, according to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Muslim Brotherhood

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the extent of the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent of links between the Muslim Brotherhood and people who have been arrested in the UK under anti-terrorism legislation.

James Brokenshire: Last year, the Prime Minister commissioned a review into the philosophy, activities, impact and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, both in the UK and overseas. The review is internal and work is underway to consider the resulting policy options. We expect to comment publicly about its conclusions in due course.

Domestic Violence

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research her Department has conducted into coercive control in domestic violence complaints.

Lynne Featherstone: I refer the Honourable Member to my previous answer on this issue, given on 9 February to written question 222927.

HM Treasury

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Austin Mitchell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which parties have been given access by his Department to the Sandstorm Report associated with the closure of The Bank of Credit and Commerce International.

Austin Mitchell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish in full Lord Justice Bingham's report, Inquiry into the Supervision of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, on the closure of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, completed in 1992.

Andrea Leadsom: The information in this document was released in 2011 and is now in the public domain.

Apprentices

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many apprentices employed by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and associated bodies are aged (i) 16 to 18, (ii) 19 to 24 and (iii) 25 years or older; and how many of those apprentices employed in each form of body and of each age group were previously employed by the Government.

Andrea Leadsom: Under the previous Government there were no apprentices employed by HM Treasury. There are now 27 – eleven are aged 11-18, 16 are aged 19-24. One of these was previously employed by the Government, and applied for an apprenticeship in a fair and open external recruitment campaign

Banks: Tax Avoidance

Frank Dobson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to require RBS and Lloyds to disclose the activities of their subsidiary companies located in tax havens.

Andrea Leadsom: As part of CRDIV, banks will be required from December 2015 to disclose much more information regarding the activities of their subsidiaries than they have previously done.  In each country in which they operate, they will have to report their profit/loss before tax and how much corporation tax they have paid. This makes great strides in increasing transparency and accountability to investors and the general public.

Government Departments: Land

Mark Hunter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will update his Department's guidance on Managing Public Money, published in July 2013, to include consideration of social, economic and environmental value when government departments dispose of land assets.

Danny Alexander: When considering project options, Managing Public Money requires departments to follow the appraisal techniques in the Green book (Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government). The Green Book describes how the economic, financial, social and environmental assessments of a policy, programme or project should be combined.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a system of grant funding for the training of professional freight drivers.

Danny Alexander: The road haulage sector provides a vital economic service, and its effectiveness is of crucial importance for a whole range of other industrial, commercial and service businesses in the UK as well as ensuring essential goods can be provided to the general public.   I am aware of the concerns that the industry has about recruitment of drivers, and the Government is looking into this matter to understand better why this has occurred and whether there is anything that it would be appropriate for Government to do in this area.

HSBC

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what dates he has met which representatives of HSBC bank since taking office.

Andrea Leadsom: Treasury Minsters meet with a wide range of banks and other firms, including HSBC, on a regular basis and to discuss numerous issues. Given that since 2010 this Government has introduced the most far-reaching reform of British banking in recent history, this number of meetings is not unusual.   Details of Ministerial meetings are available online:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Tax Avoidance: Self-employed

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people subject to an IR35 review have been deemed to be a business entity in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: IR35 reviews do not result in a business/individual being 'deemed to be a business entity'.

Tax Avoidance: Self-employed

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in each of the last five years HM Revenue and Customs reviewed under IR35 who have subsequently been deemed outside IR35 or in the low risk band and informed that they will not be reviewed for IR35 for the next three years.

Mr David Gauke: HMRC does not maintain data on how many letters have been issued informing Personal Service Companies that they are deemed outside IR35 or in the low risk band and that they will not be reviewed for IR35 for the next three years.

Tax Allowances

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals for tax relief for orchestras and high-end TV tax relief before April 2015.

Mr David Gauke: The government introduced legislation for high-end TV tax relief in the Finance Act 2013. As announced at Autumn Statement 2014, the government is exploring with industry whether to reduce the minimum UK expenditure requirement from 25% to 10% and modernise the cultural test.   As announced at Autumn Statement 2014, tax relief for orchestras will be available from April 2016. The government wants to provide orchestras with the time to make any necessary arrangements so they are in a position to claim the relief once it becomes available.

River Thames: Bridges

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding he plans to provide to the Garden Bridge.

Danny Alexander: As announced in the 2013 Autumn Statement, the Government is providing £30m part-funding towards the Garden Bridge project, with the Mayor contributing a further £30m to the project.   Following scrutiny of the business case in 2014 the Government contribution of £30m was transferred to Transport for London in December 2014.

Tate Galleries

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Tate Art Galleries on government support for their costs.

Danny Alexander: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not had any recent discussions with the Tate Modern on support for their costs.

Income Tax: Bradford

Mr David Ward: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Bradford East constituency and (b) Bradford paid income tax in (i) 2010 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: Estimates of the number of income tax payers by borough, district or unitary authority, and Parliamentary Constituency are published in tables 3.14 and 3.15 of HMRC’s Personal Incomes Statistics’   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/258887/tables3-11_3-15a.pdf   These tables contain the following estimates of the number of taxpayers in Bradford East and Bradford for financial years 2009/10 and 2012/13. Figures are to the nearest thousand:2009/102012/13Bradford206197Bradford East3633

Public Private Partnerships

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of off-balance sheet public-private partnerships.

Danny Alexander: A spreadsheet containing data on all operational PFI projects can be found on the following link, www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-projects-2014-summary-data. Balance sheet treatments for each project are recorded in columns O, P and Q and the capital value is recorded in column R.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Apprentices

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many apprentices employed by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and associated bodies are aged (i) 16 to 18, (ii) 19 to 24 and (iii) 25 years or older; and how many of those apprentices employed in each form of body and of each age group were previously employed by the Government.

Amber Rudd: The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) currently employs four apprentices; one is aged 16-18; two are aged 19-23; one is aged 24+. DECC does not hold the information requested on previous government employment. The Coal Authority currently employs two apprentices, both of these falls into the 19-24 age bracket and are undertaking level 3 apprenticeships. Neither of these apprentices has previously worked for the governmentThere are no apprentices employed by any other Non-departmental Public Bodies for which DECC is responsible.

Nuclear Power: North West

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs his Department supports (a) directly and (b) indirectly in the nuclear supply chain in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Preston.

Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Workforce Assessment 2014 report published by Cogent on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance (NESA) estimated that the number of total jobs in the Nuclear sector including the supply chain in the regions referred to are as follows:The Northwest: 13,230 Full Time Equivalents (FTE’s)Lancashire: 3,530 FTE’sPreston: 1,350 FTE’sA further 7,100 FTE’s are employed in nuclear related defence jobs in the Northwest.Through facilitating the development of new nuclear and oversight of an ambitious decommissioning programme as well as industry’s own plans to extend the life of existing nuclear power stations, we are action to safe guard these jobs and future growth when required. It works closely with skills bodies and industry to support the development of the required training programmes and job roles required to meet the sector’s needs.

Solar Power

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2015 to Question 223250, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of households installing solar panels.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 03 March 2015



The Feed in Tariff (FITs) scheme has been a great success since its launch in April 2010, with more than 640,000 installations, representing over 2.8GW of solar PV capacity registered by the end of January 2015. Of those, more than 614,000 installations, totalling nearly 1.8GW are in the smallest, domestic scale.

Railways: Electrification

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions his Department had with (a) Network Rail and (b) the Department for Transport on the costs to electricity network operators of rail electrification and their effect on consumer energy bills.

Matthew Hancock: Since the 1960s, it has been routine for the electricity network operators to re-site or remove electricity network assets as a result of railway works, under the terms of a Master Wayleave agreement.The current programme of rail electrification may result in the need for extensive works on the electricity network infrastructure.The Department is in discussion with the industry, the Department for Transport and Cabinet Office about appropriate funding arrangements.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2015 to Question 222829, what categories of support and overhead spending have increased over £10 million between 2009-10 and 2013-14; and for each such category, what the reasons are for the increase in spending.

Matthew Hancock: The only category that has increased by more than £10m during the period is Security. The reasons for this can be summarised as being the increased security requirements at nuclear sites across the country (particularly Sellafield) which has required additional expenditure on both capital investment and operating costs.

Fracking

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps his Department is taking to prevent groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing.

Matthew Hancock: Before any oil or gas operation can begin in the UK, operators must gain a permit from the relevant environmental regulator (such as the Environment Agency in England). Exactly which permits they need depends on the activities proposed and site specific circumstances such as location, and is determined by the Environmental Agency (EA). The EA will require operators to have a groundwater permit unless they can demonstrate that there will be no, or a trivial, impact on groundwater (this is known as the “de minimis” exclusion). In all other cases, they will require a permit to regulate any actual impact on groundwater or the risk of an impact.The EA also requires operators to disclose the chemicals they propose to use and the maximum concentration of each one before granting environmental permits. The EA assesses the hazards presented by fracking fluid additives on a case-by-case basis and will not allow substances hazardous to groundwater to be used where they may enter groundwater and cause pollution. Information on chemical substances and their maximum concentrations is included within the environmental permit, along with any other monitoring requirements. The permit is placed on the public register.  In addition, the Infrastructure Act 2015 makes it clear that hydraulic fracturing activity associated with onshore oil and gas exploitation cannot take place within protected groundwater source areas. Protected groundwater source areas will be defined in regulations by the end of July.

Energy: Meters

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many and what proportion of (a) electricity and (b) gas customers used home prepayment meters in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland in each year since May 2010.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6th March 2015 to Question 226043

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Procurement

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Public Procurement Contract Regulations 2015 deliver an increase in not-for-profit delivery of public procurement contracts.

Mr Francis Maude: The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 came into effect on 26 February. They will provide a much more modern, flexible and commercial approach compared to the previous regime. Outdated and superfluous constraints have been removed, and many new reforms have been included to streamline and modernise public procurement. We have also introduced further measures to remove barriers facing small and medium-sized enterprises. Together, these will make it easier for all suppliers to bid for and win public procurement contracts. The new measures will increase the visibility of low-value contract opportunities and make the bidding process quicker and simpler across the wider public sector. Complex forms, such as Pre-Qualification Questionnaires, are now abolished for low value contracts. Everyone in the supply chain must comply with 30-day payment terms, including suppliers and sub-contractors, and public bodies must publish an annual late payment report, making their accountability more transparent. For a range of services that are commonly delivered by public service mutuals (such as social and cultural services) commissioners will also have the option of using a ‘mutuals reservation’. This grants public bodies the ability to limit competition to mutuals and social enterprises that meet the tests set out in the directive. This means many mutuals will be able to win their initial contract without having to compete with more established players, allowing them to establish and grow as a business during their first 3 years.

Public Sector: Procurement

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has received in favour of inclusion in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 of provisions to mandate that social, employment and environmental criteria have the same weight of consideration as cost or price when choosing and selecting a contract bid.

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if, as an alternative to the provisions in Regulation 77 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 102), laid before the House on 5 February 2015, he will bring foward legislative proposals to reserve contracts for tightly defined co-operatives, mutuals and social enterprises; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Francis Maude: The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 implement Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement, and came into effect on 26 February 2014. In the negotiations on that Directive, the UK was successful in securing new flexibility, at Article 77, for certain service contracts to be reserved for competition by organisations meeting certain criteria, such as mutuals and social enterprises. Regulation 77 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 implements Article 77 of the Directive, in compliance with European law. As part of the Government’s consultation on proposals for transposition of the EU Public Procurement Directives 2014, 5 out of 204 respondents requested that the regulations should oblige contracting authorities to include clauses in contracts requiring consideration of social, employment and environmental criteria. The government's response to the consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transposing-the-2014-eu-procurement-directives

Conditions of Employment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in each parliamentary constituency have been employed on zero-hours contracts in each month since May 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Zero Hour Contracts
(PDF Document, 95.39 KB)

UK Statistics Authority

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Written Statement HCWS319 of 27 February 2015, what the urgent cash requirement on services was that made an advance of £15 million sought from the Contingencies Fund necessary.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Contingencies Fund
(PDF Document, 103.18 KB)

Employment: Bradford

Mr David Ward: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in the number of jobs in (a) Bradford East constituency and (b) Bradford (i) since 2010 and (ii) between 2005 and 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Jobs
(PDF Document, 384.49 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Culture

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the consequences for his Department's policies of the conclusions of Enriching Britain: Culture, creativity and growth, published by the University of Warwick on 17 February 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The report was a useful contribution to the debate around the value of culture, and the Department is considering the report with interest.

ECORYS

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2015 to Question 223127, whether the ECORYS review will be published before 10 May 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The ECORYS literature review commissioned by the DCMS, on the local economic impacts from cultural sector investments, will be published shortly.

Broadband: Urban Areas

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2015 to Question 223017, if he will publish his Department's analysis of the geographic location of the final five per cent of premises not covered by the superfast roll-out programme.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Superfast Broadband will be available to 95% of UK homes and businesses by 2017. The remaining 5% (approx. 1.5 million premises) are dispersed across 70% of the UK geography. They are in a mix of locations, with differing topographies, population densities and with different proximity to existing broadband networks. Approximately 1% (i.e. 20% of the final 5%) are in urban areas. Our understanding of the exact location of these premises is improving as the rollout of Phase 1 and 2 of the programme progresses. Each local broadband project has published maps and postcode checkers showing the location of the current roll-out plans, thereby indicating the remaining areas which are not within current coverage plans.  More information on the Market Test Pilots that the Government has commissioned to test solutions for bringing superfast broadband to these locations can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/superfast-broadband-programme-phase-3

Leisure: Children

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2015 to Question 223128, which of his Department's programmes fund early intervention in promoting (a) reading, (b) arts participation, (c) sports participation and (d) experiencing the arts.

Mrs Helen Grant: The Government will have provided more than £400 million for music and cultural education programmes over the life of this parliament. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Education and Arts Council England (ACE) have worked together to increase the opportunities and support for any young person who wants to get involved with the arts. This includes the creation of a National Youth Dance Company, a Museums and Schools programme and the In Harmony programme which inspires and transforms the lives of children through community-based orchestral music-making in areas of exceptional deprivation. In January we announced £130,000 of funding for the Sorrell Foundation’s National Art and Design Saturday Clubs to support their expansion. These clubs provide 14- to 16-year-olds with the opportunity to participate for free in inspiring art classes every Saturday morning at local art and design colleges or universities. In addition, ACE National Portfolio Organisations help to promote reading by children and young people through the Reading Agency and Booktrust.  Sport England’s Satellite Clubs and Sportivate are ‘early interventions,’ getting young people playing sport at a time when they develop a sporting habit for life (14-25). A central part of its 2012-17 Youth and Community Strategy is committed to getting more young people playing sport regularly, and Sport England is investing almost £450 million to achieve this. The government is also currently funding the School Games programme (£150m from 2012 to 2016) and the PE and Sports Premium (£150m per year).

US President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the work of the US President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The DCMS has no specific plans to make an assessment of the work of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. However, a report published in May 2011 by the President’s Committee on the Arts- Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools was identified and reviewed as part of the independent report on cultural education that was commissioned by the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2015 to Question 223187, whether he plans to publish the response to the consultation before 10 May 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The DCMS plans to publish this shortly.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2015 to Question 223733 on telecommunications, who made the oversight referred to in that Answer; and when and by whom that oversight was discovered.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Policy officials published the Impact Assessment under the Minister’s name. Once the oversight became clear at Committee Stage of the Infrastructure Bill on 15th January 2015, the Department acted immediately to rectify this and published the document on the 16th January 2015.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2015 to Question 223055, whether he plans to open the consultation exercise on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code before 7 May 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a consultation on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code on 26 February 2015 which can be found on the Government’s website. The consultation will last for a period of 9 weeks, closing on 30 April 2015.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2015 to Question 223055 on telecommunications, what the pay grades were of the 6.6 full time equivalent staff working on reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Mr Edward Vaizey: 6.6. Full Time Equivalent staff across a range of pay grades were engaged in the Department in the work relating to the drafting of the new Electronic Communications Code.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2015 to Question 223055, from whom he received stakeholder representations; on what dates he received such representations; and if he will publish those representations.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport received several stakeholder representations from across a wide range of stakeholders on the Electronic Communications Code. The DCMS published a consultation on reforming the code on 26 February and will provide a Government response in line with normal Government practice.

Leisure: Children

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2015 to Question 223183, what music and cultural education programmes his Department funded.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not fund education programmes directly, however, in conjunction with the Department for Education and Arts Council England, the DCMS supports the Music and Dance Scheme; Dance and Drama Awards; In Harmony; National Youth Dance Company; Music for Youth; Music Education Hubs; Museums and Schools Programme; Sorrell Foundation’s National Art and Dance Clubs; Cultural Passport; Heritage Schools; National Youth Music Organisations; and The Shakespeare Schools Festival.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2015 to Question 223047, whether his Department has recommended the contingency planning appraisal in correspondence with its arms length bodies since July 2013.

Mrs Helen Grant: The DCMS expects ALBs to appraise their contingency plans on a regular basis. This has been referenced in correspondence and face-to-face meetings. An example can be seen in the most recent allocations letters, which state 'If you have would like to discuss your contingency plans, then please get in touch with your usual relationship manager in the finance team.' The allocation letters issued can be found on the Department's website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dcms-arm-s-length-bodies-funding-allocation-letters

Arts: Finance

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the tweet More arts funding announced today of 26 January 2015 on his Department's Twitter account, what funding of what value that tweet referred to.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The funding referred to in the tweet was an additional £109 million for cultural education programmes in 2015-2016. The funding was announced by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Secretary of State for Education on 26 January 2015. Please see the following link for more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/childrens-music-and-arts-initiatives-receive-109-million-boost

Broadband

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2015 to Question 225228, what criteria his Department uses to decide on which regional commercial radio stations to advertise superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has advertised on radio as part of its £8 million national broadband awareness campaign. The awareness campaign also includes TV, posters, press adverts and online advertising. For radio advertising, as with all media used, we select the radio stations which will reach our target audience as efficiently as possible basing our decision on data such as listener figures, audience demographics and reach of each radio station.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2015 to Question 223689, when he expects to announce in which month 90 per cent of UK premises will have access to speeds of more than 24 mbps.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The expected point at which this will be achieved is coming closer on a continuous basis.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2015 to Question 223687, whether the (a) County Durham, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) Hampshire, (d) Essex, (e) Wokingham, (f) Black Country and (g) South Yorkshire project teams are permitted to share information on BT's costs.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Each Local Authority project team has complete visibility of all BT’s costs and how these relate to the deployment of each element of the project. BDUK has the same data for all the broadband projects through the open book accounting process that it has in place with BT, and BDUK provides detailed cost comparison reports to each local project team allowing them to compare their costs with those of the other projects across the rest of the country. This allows any costs which look out of the ordinary to be identified and investigated further with BT. BT is only paid for incremental eligible capital expenditure required for delivery of the programme.

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the maintenance of churches.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The DCMS supports the maintenance of churches through both the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, funded up to £42m per annum, which provides grants towards the VAT paid on repairs, maintenance and alterations to the listed buildings and, the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, a one-off £15m scheme. The Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund allows those responsible for looking after listed places of worship across the UK to apply for money to address urgent roof repairs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Meat: Smuggling

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many seizures of illegally imported meat have been made at (a) airports and (b) seaports in each of the last 10 years.

George Eustice: The number of seizures of illegally imported meat made at airports and seaports in Great Britain for each of the last 10 years is:   YearNumber of seizures2004/0510,9872005/0614,8262006/0719,2542007/0814,1582008/0911,3562009/1012,9432010/1110,1862011/126,2462012/137,4612013/148,904

River Ribble

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2015 to Question 224693, what the date, location and nature has been of the Environment Agency's spending on maintaining channels and flood defences on the River Ribble and its tributaries in the Savick Brook and Preston Asset Management Systems since 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency has carried out the following activities to maintain channels and flood defences on the River Ribble and its tributaries since 2010, in the Savick Brook and Preston Asset Management Systems:   Financial year Type of activity2010/11Obstruction removal, tree work, grass cutting by mechanical means, grass cutting by hand, vermin control, in-channel vegetation control, maintenance of structures, flood storage reservoir works, environmental management, and debris screen checks.2011/12Environmental management, tree work, in-channel vegetation control, weed control by mechanical means, weed control by hand , obstruction removal, asset inspections, debris screen checks, flood storage reservoir works, grass cutting by mechanical means, vermin control and maintenance of structures.2012/13Operational inspections, operation of structures, maintenance of structures, environmental management, obstruction removal, grass cutting by mechanical means, grass cutting by hand, asset inspections, in-channel vegetation control, debris screen checks, tree work and vermin control.2013/14Operation of structures, maintenance of structures, vermin control, asset inspections, obstruction removal, tree work, grass cutting by hand, flood storage reservoir works, in-channel vegetation control, environmental management and debris screen checks.2014/15Operation of structures, vermin control, obstruction removal, grass cutting by hand, grass cutting by mechanical means, in-channel vegetation control, tree work, weed control by hand, grass cutting by hand, maintenance of structures, debris screen checks, asset inspections, vermin control.   Watercourses in these systems where this activity was carried out include: Savick Brook, Sharoe Brook, Eaves Brook, Boundary Brook, Sandy Brook, River Ribble, Moorbrook Culvert and Swilbrook Culvert.   Information on specific locations for each of these tasks is not held centrally.

Insects

Sir Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the non-financial regulatory constraints are on research on the potential of insects as a sustainable source of livestock feed; and what steps her Department is taking to encourage such research.

Dan Rogerson: Research on the potential use of insects in livestock feed is permitted under the provisions of the EU Animal by-Products Regulations 1069/2009 which require registration of operators by competent authorities under conditions which control risks to public and animal health. The Food and Environmental Research Agency of Defra is currently leading research on the use of insects as a protein source for livestock in the UK.

Seas and Oceans: Electric Cables

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Marine Management Organisation has taken to safeguard the marine environment from damage by cable laying involving the SCAR plough system and similar technologies.

George Eustice: Should such activities require a marine licence from the MMO, a number of steps are taken to ensure the protection of the marine environment is adequately considered. The potential environmental impacts of any licensable activity are a material consideration under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. All decisions should be made in accordance with the UK Marine Policy Statement or relevant Marine Plan, and be in compliance with relevant legislation. Where mitigation is required to reduce potential impacts these can be secured through marine licence conditions.

Seas and Oceans: Electric Cables

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licences have been granted by the Marine Management Organisation for the laying of cables on the seabed involving the SCAR plough system and other similar technologies; and to whom each of those licences has been granted.

George Eustice: The MMO grants marine licences for the laying of cables on the seabed following assessment of the proposed activity including installation method. It is up to the individual developer to propose which methodology they intend to employ for cable installation. To date, the MMO has not issued any marine licences where the applicant has stated that the SCAR system would be deployed although since 2011, 11 licences have been granted to wind farm developers, electricity and telecoms companies who have proposed to use plough, trenching and jetting installation methods.   The SCAR system has been used for boulder clearance at one project prior to cable laying activities commencing.

Agriculture

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average age is of workers in the agricultural industry.

George Eustice: Age data is not collected for farm workers. The average age of farm holders in England in 2013 was 59.

Agriculture

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost to UK agriculture of weeds, disease and pests.

George Eustice: The Department does not hold information to answer this question in full. The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   However, the following information may be useful.   · The UK plant health risk register assesses the likelihood of non-native pests and diseases of plants being introduced or spreading to their full extent and the impact and value at risk. The register is updated monthly and the outputs are all published: https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/phiw/riskRegister/   · In 2010, a Defra funded study by CABI estimated the cost of yield losses caused by non-native plant diseases at around £282m across GB. A sector breakdown shows the majority of costs are incurred in the grain, commercial vegetable and potato sectors: www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=487   · A 2010 report by the Animal and Plant Health Agency looked at the costs of ‘conflicts’ between human and wildlife interests, including pests. The estimated £500m annual cost of these conflicts and mitigation actions includes UK agriculture.   · A 2003 Defra study assessed the costs to GB agriculture of 35 endemic livestock diseases. This study has not been updated: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=ZZ0102_1215_FRP.doc   · Tackling bovine TB costs English taxpayers in the region of £100m per year with additional costs to farmers estimated to run to tens of millions of pounds each year.

Farmers: Income

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the net farm income per worker was in each of the last 15 years.

George Eustice: The table below shows the average income for entrepreneurial labour (typically farmers and their partners) received over the last 15 years for the United Kingdom. The values are expressed in real terms; this is where earlier years’ data are adjusted to take account of inflation so they are comparable to the 2013 data.   Total income from farming (TIFF) in real terms (2013 prices) per annual work unit (AWU) of entrepreneurial labour in the United Kingdom 1999 to 2013   YearTIFF / AWU of entrepreneurial labour (£)199912,45720009,360200110,123200213,243200316,741200415,646200514,634200614,318200715,300200823,035200923,641201022,654201128,316201225,120201329,145

Agriculture

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve knowledge transfer in the agricultural sector; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Government is investing £90million in Centres for Agricultural Innovation under the Agri-Tech Strategy. One key requirement for the Centres will be that they facilitate knowledge exchange between scientists, farmers, growers and others in the food supply chain. We intend soon to announce a final decision on the first centre which will apply “big data” to farming and develop means of measuring sustainability.The Rural Development Programme’s Countryside Productivity scheme will provide £141million of support for improvements in farming and forestry productivity; encourage the creation of new farming and forestry enterprises; and facilitate technology transfer within the farming and forestry sectors.   Part of this support will be through farmer-led operational groups under the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability. These groups will bring together farmers, advisors, researchers and others to solve issues of common concern and build bridges between research and practice. Grant funding of between £5,000 and £150,000 per project will be available towards the cost of taking an innovative idea from initial research to the market place. A key element is the emphasis on dissemination of results and knowledge transfer.   We will announce details of further support for training and knowledge transfer under the Programme later this year.

Agriculture: EU External Trade

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what benefits for UK agriculture she anticipates from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is an opportunity to make it easier and cheaper for British producers to do business across the Atlantic, and to give consumers more choice. The negotiations are continuing and the final outcome is not yet known. Defra’s initial analysis suggests that a successful deal could lead to a net increase in UK agriculture, food and drink output of up to £600 million and total exports by up to £550 million.

Agriculture

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were employed in the agricultural sector in each year since 1995.

George Eustice: The number of people working on farms in England and in the United Kingdom from 1995 to 2014 is set out in the table below.   Figures pre-2000 cover all farms, whereas figures from 2000 onwards relate to commercial holdings only, so are not directly comparable. Commercial farms are defined as those with significant levels of farming activity and have any of the following:   · More than 5ha farmed area · More than 1ha permanent nursery/fruit crops · More than 0.5ha outdoor crops · More than 0.1ha glasshouses · Any area used to grow mushrooms · More than 10 cattle, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry   The principal effect of this change was to reduce the number of part-time farmers who had very small levels of farming activity.  Number of people working on agricultural holdings on 1 June  Number of people (thousands)  EnglandUnited Kingdom 1995425620 1996421616 1997417611 1998415608 1999398586 2000333516 2001333514 2002328507 2003313491 2004322501 2005319494 2006317491 2007308481 2008312483 2009293464 2010293466 2011303476 2012307481 2013296464 2014302476 Figures prior to 2000 relate to all holdings, whereas figures from 2000 onwards relate to commercial holdings only.

Department of Health

NHS: Finance

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the consultancy reports he has commissioned into the challenged local health economy of (a) Staffordshire, (b) Eastern Cheshire, (c) South West London, (d) North East London, (e) Cumbria, (f) Mid Essex, (g) Cambridge and Peterborough, (h) Leicestershire, (i) Northamptonshire, (j) East Sussex and (k) Devon has been completed; and when copies of each completed report were delivered to (i) the project's Joint Programme Board, (ii) NHS England, (iii) the Trust Development Authority, (iv) Monitor and (v) his Department.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the expected target dates are for completion of the reports commissioned from consultants into the challenged local health economy of (a) Staffordshire, (b) Eastern Cheshire, (c) South West London, (d) North East London, (e) Cumbria, (f) Mid Essex, (g) Cambridge and Peterborough, (h) Leicestershire, (i) Northamptonshire, (j) East Sussex and (k) Devon; and when he expects copies of reports to be delivered to (i) the project's Joint Programme Board, (ii) NHS England, (iii) the Trust Development Authority, (iv) Monitor and (v) his Department.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which consultancy firm has been commissioned to review the challenged local health economy of (a) Staffordshire, (b) Eastern Cheshire, (c) South West London, (d) North East London, (e) Cumbria, (f) Mid Essex, (g) Cambridge and Peterborough, (h) Leicestershire, (i) Northamptonshire, (j) East Sussex and (k) Devon; and when each such firm started its work in each area.

Jane Ellison: Holding answer received on 27 February 2015



The work to support the 11 challenged health economies was commissioned jointly by Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority and NHS England.   Consultancy firms were not commissioned to produce reports on the local health economies, as described in the question, but to support the local health economies with the development and strengthening of their strategic plans.

Tobacco: Packaging

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on tax revenues of the introduction of standard packaging of tobacco.

Jane Ellison: The Impact Assessment on Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products was published on 12 February 2015. It specifically considers in detail the potential costs to the exchequer as a result of standardised packaging. This can be found on page 42.   The Impact Assessment can be found at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/standardised-packaging-of-tobacco-products-draft-regulations

Carers

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to prevent discrimination against former carers.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support the Government provides to former carers entering employment or training following the death of the person they are caring for.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the socio-economic background of carers over the age of 50 who have become unemployed after the death of the person they were caring for since 2010.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many carers over the age of 50 have become unemployed after the death of the person they were caring for since 2010.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the number of carers over the age of 50 who have obtained full-time work within a period of (a) three and (b) six months following the death of the person they were caring for since 2010.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to protect former carers from discrimination.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of carers over the age of 50 who have not obtained full-time work within a period of (a) three and (b) six months following the death of the person they were caring for since 2010.

Norman Lamb: The Government recognises the valuable contribution made by carers, many of whom spend a significant proportion of their life providing support to family members or friends.   We know that former carers need to adjust to life after caring, so it is important that they receive support to cope and are signposted to relevant advice and support, including return to work programmes.   We have also legislated to give all carers new rights under the Care Act, which includes a principle to promote individual well-being. We have ensured that the definition of well-being in the Act includes participation in work, education and training. Local authorities must therefore consider these as relevant considerations when they are conducting an assessment or working on a support plan with a carer.   Any change of circumstances should trigger a review of circumstances. Support and planning should include planning for the end of a caring role, where relevant.   In 2002, the Government established a Task and Finish Group jointly with Employers for Carers in 2012 which looked into the factors affecting carers, including former carers wishing to return to work. We are taking forward its recommendations and have recently launched nine local authority pilots that are exploring ways in which people can be supported to combine work and care.   The Department for Work and Pensions continues to invest in supporting carers to return to work. If someone who was previously a carer and is fit for and looking for work, they would make a claim for Job Seekers Allowance and if eligible, will have access to the full Job Centre Plus offer, a core regime that provides:   - Mandatory interventions and additional flexible interventions. The interventions provide the contact with claimants so that a work coach can offer them help and support to return to work or move closer to the labour market; and - The model has three elements: a core regime of regular face-to-face meetings, flexible work coach support and access to a menu of support options including work experience, skills provision and job search help, including provision funded through the Flexible Support Fund.   Former carers can continue to get Carer’s Allowance for up to eight weeks after the death of the person they were caring for.   Carers already have a legal right to request flexible working arrangements after 26 weeks of continuous employment. Through the Children and Families Act 2014, this right was extended to all employees from 30 June 2014, helping to normalise flexible working practices within the workplace.   As with other employees or potential employees, the Equality Act 2010 protects former carers from direct and indirect discrimination in employment on grounds such as age and sex. Given the current protection from discrimination for former carers (along with other people seeking work or already employed), such as on grounds of age, sex or disability, we do not believe that additional measures are needed at the present time.   We do not hold records of former carers over the age of 50 who were unemployed or returned to work after the death of the person they were caring for. However, data from the 2011 Census which encompasses the provision of unpaid care in England and Wales showed that 8.9% of men and 11.1% of women who are caring, were unemployed.

Mental Health Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress Health Education England has made in developing training programmes for health and care employers to ensure that all staff have an awareness of mental health problems and how they may affect their patients by January 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) has been mandated to develop mental health awareness training for all health care staff. This will be launched on 9 March. This is an introductory module with the aim of raising the awareness of mental health issues within healthcare staff. It is designed to give a broad overview of what encompasses mental illness, the link between mental and physical health diagnoses and outline possible treatment options.  The package ensures free access to all healthcare staff and is available as part of HEE E-Learning for Health.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2015 to Question 221764, which representatives of the pharmaceutical industry were consulted to establish that the scoring tool used by NHS England was a fair assessment of the clinical benefits of a drug; and when that consultation took place.

George Freeman: NHS England undertook a public consultation in 2014 on its standard operating procedures for the Cancer Drugs Fund – which included the prioritisation tool. The report of that consultation process is available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/cdf-consult-rep.pdf

Eyesight: Testing

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of domiciliary sight tests for the diagnosis of (a) visual impairment and (b) eye health conditions in (i) children and (ii) adults with disabilities.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of implementation rates of  domiciliary sight tests for (a) children and (b) adults with disabilities.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Free National Health Service sight tests are available to people aged 60 and over, children under 16, those aged 16-18 in full-time education, people on low incomes and defined categories of people at particular risk of developing eye disease. NHS sight tests can also be provided as mobile services (domiciliary) to those eligible for an NHS sight test who are unable to leave home unaccompanied because of physical, mental illness or disability.   During a sight test, a doctor or optometrist is legally required to perform such examinations as are necessary to detect signs of injury, disease or abnormality and to refer the patient for further investigation if necessary. They will also carry out tests to determine if the patient requires an optical appliance to correct a defect in sight. These requirements apply regardless of where the sight test occurs and therefore no specific assessment has been made as to the effectiveness of domiciliary sight tests compared to non-domiciliary provision.   In 2013/14, domiciliary sight tests made up 3.3% of total NHS sight tests. At 428,109, this was 5% more than in 2012/13 (406,995). It is not possible to identify how many of these were provided to children or those eligible adults with disabilities.

Eyesight: Testing

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to improve the uptake of sight tests by children with disabilities.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children with a learning disability took a sight test in 2013-14.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Children aged under 16 and between 16-18 in full-time education are eligible for free National Health Service funded sight tests.   In 2013/14, 3.1 million NHS sight tests were provided to children aged up to 18 years, an increase of 6.2% on the previous year. We do not have figures for how many of these children had a disability in general, or a learning disability in particular.   The Department works with NHS Choices to raise the profile of visual health and promote the importance of regular sight tests.

Eyesight: Testing

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received NHS eye tests in (a) Kent, (b) Medway and (c) Gillingham and Rainham constituency in each of the last five years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.   Number of National Health Service sight tests carried out in Kent and Medway, 2009/10 to 2013/14   YearArea Team/Primary Care TrustSight TestsTotals2013/14Kent and Medway AT414,953414,9532012/13Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT186,400405,079 West Kent PCT163,609  Medway PCT55,070 2011/12Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT188,533416,246 West Kent PCT169,826  Medway PCT57,887 2010/11Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT182,669399,985 West Kent PCT161,816  Medway PCT55,500 2009/10Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT180,662398,600 West Kent PCT162,757  Medway PCT55,181Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre   Notes:   The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is able to provide the number of NHS sight tests carried out in England, in both primary care and domiciliary settings. These figures are derived from GOS1 forms submitted by practitioners into the Payments System.   HSCIC was not able to breakdown the figures by the areas requested. For 2013/14, sight test data were received and published at Area Team level: Kent and Medway. Data prior to 2013/14 was received at PCT level; this is broken down into three areas: Eastern and Coastal Kent, West Kent and Medway.

Eyesight: Testing

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people undergoing regular eye tests.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Government recognises that regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss.   Free National Health Service sight tests are available to many, including children, people aged 60 and over, people in receipt of certain benefits and those people at particular risk of developing eye disease. There were 12.8 million NHS sight tests in 2013/14, an increase of 3.6% on the previous year.   Information about the extensive arrangements for providing help with NHS optical services and other health costs is published in leaflet HC11 Are you entitled to help with health costs? The Department also works with NHS Choices to raise the profile of visual health and promote the importance of regular sight tests.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the cost effectiveness modelling for the HPV vaccine and adolescent boys will take account of (a) the costs of paying welfare benefits to men and women affected by HPV-related diseases, (b) the social care costs to local authorities and (c) the costs to employers of staff with HPV-related diseases.

Jane Ellison: The cost effectiveness modelling of human papillomavirus vaccine for adolescent boys follows standard National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) methodology in including National Health Service and social care costs. Benefit costs and costs to employers are not included in analysis carried out following the NICE methodology.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the cost effectiveness modelling for the HPV vaccine and adolescent boys will take into account the costs of treating (a) genital warts, (b) anal cancer, (c) penile cancer, (d) relevant head and neck cancers, (e) vaginal cancer, (f) vulval cancer and (g) recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Jane Ellison: Yes. The analysis will include all costs of treatment by the National Health Service as far as practicable and/or significant.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assumptions have been made in the cost effectiveness modelling for offering HPV vaccinations to men who have sex with men (MSM) in respect of how many MSM (a) will be vaccinated each year and how many will remain unvaccinated, (b) will acquire HPV before they are offered a vaccination, (c) will acquire genital warts before they are offered a vaccination, (d) will not be offered an HPV vaccination because their GUM clinic will decide not to routinely offer it and (e) will not be offered the vaccination because they have not disclosed their sexual behaviour.

Jane Ellison: The Public Health England modelling looks at a programme to vaccinate genitourinary medicine clinic attenders who are known to be men who have sex with men, and the data inputs used reflect the prevalence and risk of human papillomavirus infection in that group only. Ranges of values and different scenarios have been used to reflect uncertainty in many of the assumptions used. The model has undergone detailed consideration by the Joint Committee on Immunisation and Vaccination (JCVI) sub-group members, and been sent for confidential peer review. In addition, JCVI’s interim advice was subject to a stakeholder consultation. JCVI met in early February 2015 to consider the feedback from stakeholders and from the peer review and to decide whether further modelling was needed. The minutes of that meeting will be published in mid-March. Full details of the model, including the data inputs, will be made public once it is finalised and published in an academic journal.

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the average cost to the NHS of treating each case of (a) cervical, (b) vaginal, (c) vulval, (d) penile, (e) anal, (f) oropharyngeal, (g) base of tongue, (h) tonsil and (i) laryngeal cancer.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not collect treatment costs on individual cancers or other diagnoses. It does however collect reference cost annually from National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England, which can be found at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-reference-costs It should be noted that reference costs only look at the costs for individual elements of treatment e.g. an admitted episode of care rather than the cost of a whole pathway of treatment.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the cost effectiveness modelling for the HPV vaccine and adolescent boys will take account of the number of men who are likely to have sex with unvaccinated women both in the UK and abroad.

Jane Ellison: The analysis will include the transmission impact of men who are likely to have sex with unvaccinated (and vaccinated) women in the United Kingdom. It is unlikely the transmission impact of men who are likely to have sex with unvaccinated (and vaccinated) women outside the UK can be usefully estimated.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Mr Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to implement the meningitis B vaccine in 2015.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 February 2015 to Question 222863.

Influenza: Vaccination

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many influenza vaccinations for elderly and disabled people were administered in (a) the West Midlands region and (b) Birmingham in the 2014-15 winter period.

Jane Ellison: Specific data for those with disability is not available, as this is not a distinct risk group collected as part of the national survey.   As at 31 January 2015, 771,998 people aged 65 and over who were registered with a general practitioner (GP) in the West Midlands area were given influenza vaccine*.   As at 31 January 2015, 292,520 people aged 65 years and over registered to a GP in the Birmingham and Black Country area were given influenza vaccine.   * ImmForm, national flu survey

Gastrointestinal Cancer: Drugs

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of taking Regorafenib off the Cancer Drugs Fund list on the health outcomes of gastrointestinal stromal tumour cancer patients.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that its review of the national Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list will ensure that more patients will be able to access drugs that provide better outcomes for their cancers.   This re-evaluation of some CDF drugs, including regorafenib (Stivarga) for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours, will mean that some patients who would have received the drugs to be removed from the list will switch to alternative CDF drugs and the remainder will be offered conventional treatments. NHS England has also assured the Department that no patient whose treatment is currently being funded through the Fund will have funding withdrawn, as long as it is clinically appropriate that they continue to receive that treatment. In addition, no drug will be removed from the Fund where it is the only therapy for that condition.

Influenza: Vaccination

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many influenza vaccinations for elderly and disabled people were allotted for (a) the West Midlands region and (b) Birmingham for the 2014-15 winter period.

Jane Ellison: This data is not collected centrally as the influenza vaccine for older people and adults who are disabled is ordered directly from manufacturers by general practitioners.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the cost effectiveness modelling for the HPV vaccine and adolescent boys will take into account the increased risk of HIV infection in men and women who are HPV positive.

Jane Ellison: Yes. The analysis will include the increased risks of human papillomavirus and HIV co-infection.

Diabetes

Mr John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the need for a medical exemption certificate has been effectively communicated to sufferers of diabetes by the NHS Business Service Authority and pharmacies.

George Freeman: Information about the prescription charge exemption arrangements, including the requirement to hold valid exemption certificate to claim a medical exemption, is included on NHS Choices. Long-standing arrangements are also in place to make available to general practitioner (GP) practices leaflets to put on display for patients containing details about the exemption rules and requirements. The declaration on the prescription form that patients are required to sign to claim a medical exemption from the charge also makes clear the requirement for a certificate.   Additionally, in October 2014 as part of the centralisation of the prescription exemption checking process within the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the NHSBSA sent all English pharmacies and GP practices a supply of posters and booklets entitled ‘Claiming free prescriptions?’ to make available to patients. The poster warns patients of the consequences of claiming free prescriptions incorrectly and directs them to the booklet for more information on eligibility, which states that medical exemption certificates are valid for five years. The poster and booklet are also published on the NHSBSA website:   http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/4666.aspx.   The NHSBSA is currently planning further communications work to build on this initial activity.

Tobacco: Packaging

Sir Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Impact Assessment for the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015, which derives key valuables in its cost benefit analysis from the work of Pechey et al, what account he has taken of the statements in that article that it relies on best guess estimates and that its authors have an economic or personal stake in the issue.

Jane Ellison: The Impact Assessment makes clear how this research was used on page 53. It also considers the uncertainty associated with the estimates in the “Sensitivity and Risk” analysis on page 69.   The published research paper includes a section on competing interests. The authors state that they have no connections to the tobacco industry, nor any financial or non-financial competing interests that relate to the area of this study.   A copy of the research paper is attached.   The Impact Assessment can be found at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/standardised-packaging-of-tobacco-products-draft-regulations



Impact Assessment: standardised packaging- tobacco
(PDF Document, 545.61 KB)

Tobacco: Packaging

Sir Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will delay implementation of standardised tobacco packaging until data on its effects on smoking prevalence in Australia is available.

Jane Ellison: The draft regulations laid in Parliament on 23 February have a coming-into-force date of May 2016.   Certain parts of the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations implement the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and are therefore required to be brought into force in May 2016. For those regulations that introduce further requirements, it is clear that there are benefits for business if the requirements of the TPD and standardised packaging requirements are implemented at the same time.   Australian Government figures, from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, show that smoking prevalence is at an all-time low since the implementation of standardised packaging. This change is likely to be attributable to cumulative effects of a range of policies, including standardised packaging.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support and guidance his Department and NHS England have made available to clinical commissioning groups to enable them to effectively commission services for smaller population groups.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has provided clear direction and support to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on their duties to have regard to reducing health inequalities. In the Forward View Into Action: Planning for 2015/16 it states: “Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) should work with local government partners to set and share in 2015/16 quantifiable levels of ambition to reduce local health and healthcare inequalities and improve outcomes for health and wellbeing.”   Additional guidance for commissioners on the equality and health inequalities duties and what this means in practice was issued within the supplementary information for commissioners, as part of the overall planning guidance for 2015/16.   Furthermore, ‘Reducing Health Inequalities - Meeting our Duties’ regional workshops have been provided in 2014/15 for CCGs and their local partners. These workshops support CCGs, Health and Wellbeing Boards, and local authorities in their legal duties to reduce health inequalities.   It is expected that in all commissioning activities CCGs will have regard to meeting legal duties on health inequalities including to reduce inequalities between patients in access to health services and the outcomes achieved, as outlined in Section14T of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.   A copy of Forward View Into Action: Planning for 2015/16 and the supplementary information for commissioners is attached. 



Forward View Into Action: Planning for 2015/16
(PDF Document, 728.17 KB)




Supplementary information for commissioners
(PDF Document, 854.6 KB)

Mental Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the working group to examine the commissioning and provision of psychological therapies will be established.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the working group to examine the commissioning and provision of psychological therapies will examine neuro and neuropsychiatric services.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the working group on the commissioning and provision of psychological therapies will be established; and what its scope, terms of reference and membership will be.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what secondary and tertiary mental health services for deaf patients are commissioned nationally by NHS England.

Norman Lamb: NHS England (NHSE) commissions community deaf services for adults and children and young people.   There are four Children and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHs) deaf community services as follows:   - North of England based in York, with outreach teams in Manchester and Newcastle; - Midlands based in Dudley, with outreach services in Oxford and Nottingham; - London and South East with outreach teams based in Cambridge and Maidstone; - South West based in Taunton.   Adult community services are linked to the inpatient units and are based in:   - Newcastle (covering North East England and Cumbria); - Manchester (covering North West England); - Birmingham (covering the Midlands); and - London (covering London and the South East).   There are three adult inpatient services covering NHS England:   - Manchester – John Denmark Unit; - Birmingham – Jasmine Unit; and - London – St Georges Hospital.   NHSE also commission:   - A low secure service in the North West of England; - Medium secure in-patient services in North West and Northampton; - A high secure service in Rampton Hospital.   Finally, Corner House, Springfield Hospital in London is a national CAMHs in-patient service.   Departmental officials are arranging a meeting to take place in the coming weeks with key stakeholders to discuss the progress and next steps in improving the provision of mental health services for deaf people.   NHSE is developing a new ‘accessible information standard’ which will provide clear guidance to health and social care organisations on the steps they need to take to ensure that disabled patients, carers and service users receive information in appropriate formats and communication support, if they need it. This will include the provision of interpreters or British Sign Language users for deaf people.   NHSE has also worked closely with SignHealth in the development of the standard and SignHealth have offered advice about particular aspects of the standard which relate to deaf people.

Kidneys: Research

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of overall health research funding was invested in renal research in each year from 2008; and what plans he has to increase funding for such research in the next five years.

George Freeman: From 2008-09, spend on research funded directly by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has been categorised by Health Research Classification System health categories. NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure and systems where spend cannot be attributed to health categories is excluded. The following table shows NIHR spend in the health category ‘renal and urogenital’ as a proportion of total categorised spend and as a proportion of total revenue expenditure.   YearCategorised%Total revenue%2008/091.30.52009/101.71.02010/111.61.02011/121.71.12012/132.01.52013/142.31.7   The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including renal disease and care. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

HIV Infection

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional opportunities there will be for volunatary sector providers to undertake government-funded HIV prevention activities in 2015-16 outside the HIV Prevention England contract; how such opportunities will be advertised; and when the tendering period for such contracts will open and close.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which organisations will receive funding from the national HIV prevention programme in 2015-16; how much each such organisation will receive; and what activity will be funded by that funding.

Jane Ellison: Plans for the 2015/16 HIV prevention programme will be announced shortly.

General Practitioners: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent GPs there were per head of population in (a) Cumbria, (b) Copeland and (c) Allerdale in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected.

Continuing Care

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in receipt of Continuing Healthcare funding have been diagnosed with cancer.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not collect data on the number of people in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients attended A&E because they were unable to access a dentist in Cumbria in each of the last five years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for mental health talking therapies in (a) England, (b) the North of England and (c) Cumbria Clincial Commissioning Group.

Norman Lamb: The table below shows the mean and median waiting time for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services across England, the North of England Commissioning Region and Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).Mean waiting time (days)Median waiting time (days)England4021North of England Commissioning Region4321NHS Cumbria CCG1513   Source: IAPT Dataset   Note: means and medians have been rounded to the nearest whole number.   Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020, published in October 2014, articulates our ambition and the immediate actions we are taking to achieve better access and waiting times in mental health services. It includes the IAPT commitment of treatment within 6 weeks for 75% of people with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks.   £40 million in additional funding has been identified to enable change in the current financial year, and a further £80 million will be freed up for 2015/16 to support implementation of waiting times in mental health services.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent dental surgeons there were per head of population in (a) Cumbria, (b) Copeland and (c) Allerdale in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected.

Action on Smoking and Health

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the (a) business plan and (b) grant agreement to provide funding for the organisation Action on Smoking and Health under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what purposes is Action on Smoking and Health permitted to spend the grant it has been given under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to monitor the use by Action on Smoking and Health of its funding under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.

Jane Ellison: Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) receives a Grant from the Department annually for work to contribute to the achievement of the national ambitions in the Tobacco Control Plan Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England 2011.   The Department holds regular meetings with ASH to monitor delivery according to the terms of the grant awarded under Section 64 of the Health and Social Care Act.   A copy of the award letter for 2014-15 is attached. 



ASH Section 64 award letter 
(PDF Document, 3.25 MB)